Field of The Invention
The present invention relates to a means for supporting insulation against the underside of a roof. More specifically, the present invention is directed to supporting insulation against the underside of a portable roof adjunct such as a cabana or carport, etc.
The present invention finds particular use with adjuncts for mobile homes. Many mobile home owners set up cabanas as shelter for an outside porch. Such adjuncts are usually constructed of prefabricated, light-weight aluminum panels. These panels are commercially available in varying lengths and widths, so that a mobile home owner may construct a cabana which will cover a desired area. Typical panels use a tongue and groove construction so that they may be readily joined together. A light-weight frame is then employed to support the panels over the desired porch area.
A mobile home dweller having a cabana constructed of aluminum panels is well aware of the intense heat which may build up underneath the panels on a summer day. Various methods for providing insulation for cabanas have been suggested, but these insulation methods are generally permanent in nature and require a coating of the roof of the adjunct with roofing tar and paper or constructing a supporting frame work on the underside of the adjunct which is used to support a further ceiling structure. A particular disadvantage with these permanent insulating methods is that mobility of the structure is thereby sacrificed. Also, an aluminum panel roofing system may not have sufficient structural integrity to support permanent insulation.
The present invention is directed to the use of light-weight metal retaining supports which are inserted in a joint between adjacent aluminum panels. The support device of the present invention is L-shaped and utilizes a tongue portion inserted into the joint and the insulation is supported by a lip joined to the tongue. The number of retaining supports required for a given adjunct depends upon the size of the adjunct.
Insulation panels are typically available in corresponding or multiples of widths of the aluminum roofing panels. Aluminum roofing panels are typically narrow and light to facilitate easy handling. As the tongue portion of the retainer is inserted into the joint between two roof panels at appropriate intervals around the perimeter of the panels, the ceiling will bulge slightly upward. As pressure from the insertion is relaxed, the joint returns to its previous position holding the retainer. The desired insulation may then be inserted in the space between the lip of the retainer and the underside or the ceiling of the roofing panel.